Group RVJAM | R.N.A./Viper/Jack/Arty/Matsu | Atsuko Scene Investigation

Roadie 🪶Jack

Arty Takenaka “The only one of us who had any intent to actually hurt someone is—is… Not here anymore.”

Dang, Jack was so sure she was gonna say him. Now he was just lost. Were there not plenty more people out for blood, just objectively speaking? Maybe he’d imagined more than he’d thought.

R.N.A. “Should I take that… as an admission of guilt, Jack?

“Just in general? Sure, why not?” He was sure being Jack.

Bah, not even a few coins in here. Rude. Putting the sad remains of the bag aside, Jack sighed and slipped his way around R.N.A. while they seemed occupied. Were there any pockets left on this person? If there had been any in the first place…

And finally he got his first look at the victim’s face, in surprisingly good condition since direct contact with the sand had insulated it from the fire.

“…Ah.” So that’s who Atsuko was.

“Man,” he whined. “Couldn’t it’a been somebody more… boring? ’s plenty of those around.”

Well, no helping it now. He gave her front side a once-over while he had her propped up this way. Pocket change? Pocket change for a poor downtrodden man?

Narrator

Viper

The space heater continues to rattle more than expected, with a few pieces of metal falling to the sand from her efforts. That… sure means something, probably! There’s a simple latch to open up the battery space, but nothing more amiss there than anywhere else. Aside from that, uh… It sure is some kind of space heater that was on fire!

Man. If only someone here was specifically good with broken machines!

Roadie 🪶Jack

Still no pocket change, loser. But…

Atsuko’s Glove - Though not the right material to burn or melt, Atsuko’s left glove is plastered to her stomach, such that any removal efforts would take a little time. It’s soaked in blood but doesn’t seem to be damaged.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Arty Takenaka

Half zoned-out, Jack was once again briefly confused about the “already attacked” and “no qualms about physically threatening people” things clearly meaning him but then apparently not. Wasn’t worth giving himself more of a headache over. Just people talking.

Narrator Atsuko’s Glove - Though not the right material to burn or melt, Atsuko’s left glove is plastered to her stomach, such that any removal efforts would take a little time. It’s soaked in blood but doesn’t seem to be damaged.

“Huh.”

Getting at the edge of the glove, he began to work it off. Bloody, sure, but the fire probably sterilized it or something. That was a thing that fire did, yeah? Either way, ocean was right there, and it wasn’t like he didn’t have disinfectant.

Arty Takenaka She’s holding out for someone to possibly be able to identify where it’s from, if anything—maybe Jack? She makes sure to have it in his view for a good long moment.

Thankfully, a good long moment was enough time for him to actually notice it. He blinked, rubbed his eye (with the back of his wrist, being less dirtied with blood and people-ash), and squinted. That sure was a piece of metal.

Viper “…Nah. Kinda looks like some kinda bullet or somethin’ if I had ta guess. Knives an’ all don’t really…get that weird shapin’.”

“Not without an awful lotta effort. Doubt the fire got that hot, but you’re free t’check my knives for damage if you’re just that suspicious.”

Arty Takenaka

Well, Arty sure does look up when R.N.A. towers over her. She’s on the ground, meaning the multiple-foot height difference between them is stretched further. To Arty’s credit, though, R.N.A. can only feel her shoulder trembling a little bit. When she gets to her feet to look back at them, her gaze is, percentage-wise, technically more defiant than fearful.

“Pretty sure the most logical outcome is: the one who’s already attacked us once and wants us to distrust each other and has stated many times that he wants us dead is doing this to pit us against each other. Or the person who had no qualms about physically threatening people got into a fight with a Denizen and then had an accident with equipment she’s been drastically mishandling. Either/or.”

“But I’m not naïve. I’ll find the truth, like you said, and if it supports another conclusion, then I’ll stand by it. But I won’t blame the people on the same side as me until I have a reason to. Because unlike you, I’m not a robot.”

(Hopefully Arty’s conducted herself well enough here to assuage Viper’s concerns, which she of course noticed, but is currently ignoring because she doesn’t want to lend weight to them. She has to stand up for herself, not have other people do it for her. But… the way that Viper seems to be protecting her is… noted. Neutrally noted.)

Turning away from R.N.A. and towards Viper, Arty makes a grabby gesture for the space heater. “Give it here, I wanna see.” Assuming the heater is relinquished, she squats down and begins to inspect it. After a bit, she produces a crescent wrench from her pocket. She can use that to pry open any compartments that are giving her some difficulty, and/or remove any screws accessible from the outside.

How damaged is the heater? Is there any damage that can’t be attributed to the fire?
Is there anything inside the battery compartment? Are the batteries damaged beyond repair?
Can she take apart the heater to see the state of the insides and determine the source of the rattling?
Is it fixable, or damaged beyond repair?

Narrator

Arty Takenaka

There’s definitely some kind of external damage to the heater—while the batteries are spared of anything but fire damage (which is enough she wouldn’t want to try them), it looks like something ripped a pretty decent, uneven hole through the wiring and such. That could certainly cause a fire eventually if the heater was still on.

She could probably get the fan part working again with a less damaged power source, but the heating elements are, as they say, toast.

Carefully taking apart the heater and matching up broken bits to where they’d conceivably go, she can spot a piece that doesn’t fit anywhere…

Metal Piece - Upon close examination, there’s a small, deformed piece of metal wedged in the space heater that doesn’t seem to belong. It almost looks like the remains of a bullet.

R.N.A.

Viper “OI!” She barked, “Step back, you’re gonna scare her. Most people ain’t gonna want ta be intimidated while they’re seein’ this, like, even if ya don’t mean ta do it!”

“I’m not-” R.N.A. would be cut off by Arty’s own rebuttal to their words. Most of it was glossed over, but there was one part that… stuck out.

Arty Takenaka But I won’t blame the people on the same side as me until I have a reason to. Because unlike you, I’m not a robot.”

I’m not a robot… Indeed. R.N.A. already knew there was plenty that was in the way. A robot cannot be human. A human cannot be robot. But to have it reinforced once more that they are never going to stack up…

Their hand may have been far looser than usual on the shoulder, not that Arty likely would have noticed.

Right. Now isn’t the time to worry about this. They need to do their job and protect everyone from the culprit. Instead, they turn their attention to the TV on the tree. The Treevee’s TV.

“Do you think there’s something… in there?”

R.N.A. decides to investigate the TV itself… Somehow.

Arty Takenaka

Honestly, despite the circumstances, Arty does relish the chance to take apart something again. It’s been a while, and it’s something she’s clearly good at. Viper has caught a glimpse of it before, when she’d given herself a mechanical problem to solve in the form of building the letter fort. Here it is again, that singleminded focus, chipping away at a problem she knows she can solve. Not to mention it makes her feel useful to the group at last.

So it’s incredibly satisfying when she does find something—evidence for the case, but most of all evidence of her contribution. She holds up the metal piece for the others to view, though she doesn’t offer for them to take it (because she doesn’t want them to unless necessary).

“Does anybody recognize this? It’s damaged. Doesn’t look very much like it would have any mechanical function. My knowledge doesn’t really extend to… possible weaponry, so.” She’s holding out for someone to possibly be able to identify where it’s from, if anything—maybe Jack? She makes sure to have it in his view for a good long moment.

Viper

Viper brightens as she watches Arty disassemble and take apart the space heater. It’s part admiring the dedication that she has to working and sorting out the problem and part the satisfaction that her gamer senses just KNEW something was up with that space heater!

“…Nah. Kinda looks like some kinda bullet or somethin’ if I had ta guess. Knives an’ all don’t really…get that weird shapin’.” Viper crouches down, looking at the piece a little closer.

“…Heh. I got some theories brewin’ now.” …Willing to share with the class, Viper? No? Not yet?

Viper stands back up once she’s had prime time to examine the metal piece, and her attention instead goes to the tree behind Atsuko’s body. She’d noticed the weird mark when she’d approached the space heater- but it seemed pretty obvious what it was… at least… she assumed it did!

Narrator

Viper

Tree Print - The treevee beside Atsuko bears a clear bloody handprint—or at least four fingers’ worth. Upon close inspection, there doesn’t seem to be any sort of fingerprint detail, though.

Viper

Roadie 🪶Jack “Not without an awful lotta effort. Doubt the fire got that hot, but you’re free t’check my knives for damage if you’re just that suspicious.”

“Ain’t said I’m sus of anyone yet.” Viper replied, rather diplomatically for her normal retorts, but she offers a hand toward Jack. “But, if ya gonna offer, yeah. I’ll check ’em. Ya can have’em right back.”

She gestures with her hand, beckoning him to hand over the first knife.

In the meantime, any way she can judge how tall the hand print stands?

Narrator

Viper

Matsu

The treevee doesn’t seem to be playing anything at the moment—if it even could in this condition.

The angle of the print makes it difficult to guess whether it belongs to a right or a left hand. Height-wise, it’s on the lower side. Probably not from someone standing at full height (some present company excluded).

Roadie 🪶Jack Getting at the edge of the glove, he began to work it off.

Beneath the glove…

Atsuko’s Stomach - There’s a wound in Atsuko’s lower abdomen that’s a little clearer than the one on her back. It’s messier-looking than the other wound, but definitely seems to be deep.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper “Ain’t said I’m sus of anyone yet.”

“Wow, so nobody did this after all? That was a short investigation.”

Matsu “Someone [freaking] killed her,”

“Whoops, investigation’s back on.”

Narrator Atsuko’s Stomach - There’s a wound in Atsuko’s lower abdomen that’s a little clearer than the one on her back. It’s messier-looking than the other wound, but definitely seems to be deep.

He whistled.

“That doesn’t look like fun. ’ve had worse, but.” Of course you have. “Doesn’t always take a lot to kill ya ’round there.” Since he’s an expert and all. At killing people.

Viper She gestures with her hand, beckoning him to hand over the first knife.

Oh honey, he ain’t letting go of any of these.

To his credit, he wasn’t overly quick to put away any of the knives he took out, and he did enough show-offy nimble fingerwork for all parts to be visible, but if Viper tried to take any outright, it wouldn’t end well.

He presented two identical daggers (how was that necessary), then a folding whittling knife. None had any obvious damage—certainly no chunks missing. He took very good care of these, thank you.

Matsu

[Continued from Body Drop]

Matsu hadn’t really reacted to Viper trying to get their attention, slowly lowering their hands to their side as they stare at the remains and the fire licking at it. Her.

Only when Viper takes their chin and makes them look away do they finally do so. Their chest rises and falls with quick, shallow breaths and their eyes keep darting back to the smouldering remains of the fire ~~and Atsuko~~ until she brushes their hair out of their eyes. They swallow, then give a small nod. They actually let her take their hand, and it’s a good thing she continues to block the view.

“Someone fucking killed her,” they finally say while Viper and Arty disassemble the space heater. Wow, they sure are helpful Even this twelve year old was being more productive. They’ve been standing awkwardly behind Viper, having relinquished her hand once she needs it and instead just staying. Close.

Naturally, they follow her to look closer at the treevee, which is much better than the corpse.

Even though there’s no visible thumb, can they tell which three finger marks are closer to the same length versus the smallest? They are attempting to discern whether it is likely from a right hand or left hand.

Viper

Okay, Viper kinda expected him to not want to hand any of his knives over. That made sense, after all, it was Jack and why would he be too cooperative? That wasn’t very on brand! But it was as he was busy showing off the knives, that Viper remembered something much more desirable that she wanted to steal.

Yeah, perhaps she would have been smart to steal a knife from him! ….When he wasn’t looking, of course. But she figured that he was distracted enough trying to make sure she couldn’t steal his knives that she could swipe Stick Jesus from right under his nose.

Sorry to anyone watching, but Viper darts her hand out, swiping Stick Jesus from his prison as part of Jack’s belongings, continuing her distraction as she acclimated the stick among her things by speaking.

“By the way, what tf happened to ya! I gotta ask!” Viper started, “How can ya just vanish! Over there.” Viper points toward the West.

“I was followin’ ya for ages ya know. An’ then ya just up and vanished. Like, rude? Didn’t even say hi?” Pause. “Cause I bet ya totes knew I was followin’ ya.”

Narrator

Viper

Stick Jesus - Still on Jack’s person at the time of investigation. No traces of recent damage.

R.N.A.

Though it’s one of the taller treevees, R.N.A. is one of the taller Passengers, so no problems here!

Treevee (Atsuko) - The burned remains of a palm tree and the television embedded in it. The tape inside can be extracted and bears a label that’s not too faded to make out Atsuko’s name.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper

Clearly too preoccupied to notice the pickpocketing, Jack didn’t address Viper until he was questioned.

“How to vanish? Trade secret.”

“And yeah, course I noticed you tailin’ me. Definitely woulda scared off the fish stomping around like that.” He retrieved a rag to wipe off any blood and ashes that got on his blades before checking Atsuko’s ungloved hand. “…May’a managed to scare ‘em anyway. You’re real talented, know that?”

R.N.A. “Do you think there’s something… in there?”

He made an “Iunno” sound. At least look up to see what they’re talking about, dude.

Viper

Roadie 🪶Jack “How to vanish? Trade secret.”

“Ugh. Lame.” Viper scoffs, but his assessment of her totally legit super cool tailing of him has her grumbling and folding her arms like the stubborn, totally-in-denial woman she is. She thought she had been sooooo sneaky. But no. Booooo!

“I wasn’t stomping! I was following!” She protests, ever the pedantic fool. “…You just need to teach me better skills. Duh.” ….Alrighty, Viper.

“Anyway- Aren’t we meant to pick someone that we think killed Atsuko? That seems like…a good idea, right?”

Viper has a quick… Examine of the sand around Atsuko’s body. Looking for any smaller items that may have been glossed over. And, if there’s any… blood around still that hasn’t already been attributed to one of the items around her.

Narrator

Roadie 🪶Jack checking Atsuko’s ungloved hand

Atsuko’s Left Hand - She doesn’t seem to have been wearing a glove before the fire caught. Though her fingers are reflexively curled in and not burnt on the inner surface, they don’t bear any fingerprints.

Viper Examine of the sand around Atsuko’s body.

Atsuko’s Lighter - On the ground near Atsuko’s body. Closer to her right hand than to the space heater.

There may be more blood on the sand—it’s hard to judge, exactly, when everything close to Atsuko’s body is a burnt mess. Nothing unexpected around, at least.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Viper “…You just need to teach me better skills. Duh.”

“Clearly. Y’ever get your tuition paid for that?”

Jack peered at Atsuko’s fingers a while before letting them curl back up. “Guess she coulda got away with whatever she wanted. Maybe she shoulda joined classes too, huh?”

“Well. Too late now.”

Viper Aren’t we meant to pick someone that we think killed Atsuko?

Yeah, that seemed… vaguely familiar. He checked the sand a little farther out since Somebody already looted the immediate area.

“Yeah, not sure anythin’ here makes me think a’ anybody. Ever feel like someone had it out for her?”

He watched Viper, an eyebrow raised.

“Guess ya could compare some stab wounds if you’re such an expert, huh?” Since he was sure to be the one everybody suspected most, after all.

Viper

CW for uh. Prodding open wounds later (sorry yall)

Yoink. Viper’s lighter now!

Does it still work?

Viper also crouches to get a better look at that wound on Atsuko’s back, and she’s glad she’s still wearing that cloth around her face.

What she’s about to do next makes her stomach churn, but…

Viper tries to poke her finger into the wound to assess how deep it is. And to feel around for anything inside.

Viper is fighting for her life trying to keep her stomach from twisting but… curiosity got the better of her.

Narrator

Viper

The lighter still works! Seems the fire damage wasn’t as bad as it could have been there.

Viper What she’s about to do next makes her stomach churn, but…

Viper isn’t exactly a trained expert in this, so it’s hard to be too sure, but she can’t feel any obvious foreign bodies. She also can’t be completely sure she isn’t affecting the shape of the wound by feeling it, but it’s seemingly deeper than her finger can go.

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